Pieces Of The Life I Had Before
by Chi no Kaori
Summary: [Chapter 3 up]One haunted by his past. Another who won't let him forget it. And one girl caught between them...AU. EKK.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own RK, I'm just messing around with the characters a bit.

AN: Okay, touched this up a little, let's see if people like it…

* * *

It was, many would agree, a beautiful day. The skies were blue, with barely any clouds. The sun radiated a comfortable degree of warmth, and there was a light breeze that gently ruffled his long red hair. 

Kenshin wasn't sure whether he should be glad of or be resentful of that fact. On one hand, it meant things would proceed smoothly for the people he was currently observing from a distance, which was definitely a positive outcome. However, the fine weather belied – mocked, even – the tragedy that the day represented.

It was, after all, the day Tomoe Yukishiro would be laid to rest.

Hidden behind a tree outside the graveyard, but still close enough for him to observe the funeral proceedings, Kenshin watched. He wasn't sure whether he would have wanted to be right there with the rest of the mourners. Not like it mattered – he wouldn't have been welcomed anyway. That itself would not have stopped him, but the very idea of causing an ugly scene on the site of Tomoe's grave – it seemed like sacrilege. Tomoe's father would most certainly have had him thrown out, probably after hurling curses at him. And he would not have blamed the man one bit.

It was, after all, his fault that Tomoe had died.

Or, more accurately, been killed. So soon after such loss, most people would have flinched from putting it so bluntly, even in their own minds, especially when the deceased had been special to them. But Kenshin had accepted that Tomoe was forever gone, and no attempt at delicate phrasing would change that fact.

The same way he accepted that he was the reason for Tomoe's death.

_Tomoe…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…_

Of course, he hadn't actually been the one to take her life. There was no way he could have. He had admired her, treasured her – _loved _her, he realized, only know, when it was too late. Ever since the day he'd met her, he had recognized that there was something special about the quiet, serene girl. When circumstances had brought them together, she could have chosen to hold herself apart from him, slipping away like he was some kind of infectious disease. And he would have thought her wise for it. Instead, she chose to stay by him, recognizing that he had needed someone to pull him away from the darkness that threatened to consume him. He should have pushed her away, but like a drowning man struggling to save himself, he could not resist taking the lifeline that had been offered to him. It hadn't taken long before he felt that he could never let her go. She had been the only source of happiness in his life…

_And look at how I repaid her…_

"_Shit…shit…shit…"_

"_You bastard, what the hell did you stab the bitch for?!"_

"_I didn't mean to man…I was going for Battousai…crazy chick just jumped out in front of me…" The clatter of a knife being dropped. "Shit…"_

_A third voice. "T-this is more than I came for, man. I'm outta here." _

_Footsteps, the sound of someone running away. Then there were more of such sounds, as one by one the Ishin fled._

_Kenshin barely noticed their departure. He was too busy using his shirt to stem the blood flow from Tomoe's stomach._

"_Oh, God…No…Tomoe, just hold on, alright? Just hold on…" _Blood, blood, so much, oh God, no, Tomoe, no…_ambulance. With one hand holding his shirt against her abdomen, he rummaged around Tomoe's bag for her cellphone with the other. _ No, please, please, I can't lose her, not Tomoe…

"_Ken…shin…" Her whisper caught his attention. She smiled weakly at him. "S'alright… not your fault…"_

It's my fault, all mine, should never have brought you – _"Please, Tomoe, don't try to talk. Just-" _There._ His fingers closed around the mobile phone. _

_But before he could dial, Tomoe's eyes fell shut, and her body went limp._

"_TOMOE!"_

Legally, he was innocent. But he knew better. He _had_ been responsible. He should have anticipated that the Ishin would try and get back at him for leaving. He should have _stayed the hell away from her_. He was nothing but trouble – he'd proved that so many times before. Sure, he would still have been stuck with the Ishin, but at least she would have been alright. Instead he'd sought what wasn't his to have, and now it was lost to the world forever.

As the funeral drew to a close, Kenshin turned away and began to walk. He went through the motions of putting one foot in front of the other, moving forward, but with no destination in mind. The movements required little concentration, which unfortunately allowed him to think. And with only one thing – _person_ – on his mind…

Bitterness, self-loathing – these emotions welled up inside, and he allowed them to fill him. Tears of anguish had formed in his eyes, but he did not let them fall, denying himself whatever minute relief crying might have provided. But as much as these things occupied his attention, he could not fail to notice the presence that had approached him from behind. He stopped.

"Come to tell me how stupid I've been?"

From behind him, his guardian Seijuro Hiko – former guardian, rather, the man had kicked him out after he'd joined the Ishin – gave a snort. "Looks like you've been doing a good job of that yourself."

Barely hearing Hiko's words, Kenshin continued to speak. He wasn't sure why, it wasn't as if Hiko didn't already know what he had to say. "Everything I did was a mistake – joining the Ishin, trying to get close to Tomoe…" He trailed off for a moment, then bit out, "I should be the one in that grave." _Except that there wouldn't be any mourners._

"I'm not going to argue with that." Kenshin barked out a bitter laugh, but Hiko went on. "But it doesn't look like the girl agreed, now, does it? God knows how, that girl saw that something in you that was worth saving. Enough to give you her life. The least you could do is live well."

The words took Kenshin completely by surprise. He whipped his head around to face Hiko, but the man was already walking away. Not like Kenshin could find any words to say anyway. He could only stare mutely at Hiko's retreating back.

Suddenly, Hiko stopped, and without looking back, called out, "If you don't want to be locked out, make sure you're back by eleven."

"What-" It took a moment for the implication of Hiko's words to sink in.

Anger, derision, an "I told you so" –he would have expected all that from Hiko. But this…_I don't deserve– _"Why…?" He finally managed, his voice hoarse.

At first, Hiko continued walking as if he hadn't heard Kenshin. Then all of a sudden, he stopped. "They say real men don't cry," he said, staring at the sky, as if he was addressing no one in particularly. "But when it's a loss that great…I think some tears are called for, wouldn't you think?"

As Kenshin watched Hiko walk away, he found that his view of the man's back was becoming increasingly blurred, and a strange wetness had settled upon his cheeks.

_I'm sorry, Tomoe…_

_Goodbye…_

* * *

Enishi Yukishiro did not bother suppressing his scowl as he observed his father, who was listening to some woman blabber on about how sorry she was for Tomoe's death. The scene had disgusted him. He turned away and instead, studied the white stone that marked his sister's final resting place. _Tomoe Yukishiro. Beloved daughter, sister and friend._

Someone had told him that it was good that many turned up for Tomoe's funeral. It showed just how much she was loved. But as far as Enishi was concerned, these people didn't deserve to be here. These people didn't know Tomoe like _he _did, didn't care for her as much as _he_ did. They had even let the bastard responsible for her death walk free. To hear the affected words of sympathy, see their fake tears – God, it grated at him.

After this, they would all just move on with their lives, as if Tomoe had never existed. Even his father, who had never given a damn about his children since their mother's death. Right now the old man was probably worrying about how work was piling up at the office while he was stuck at his daughter's funeral.

_But _I_ won't ever forget you, nee-san. And I won't let _him _either…_

Enishi stared at his sister's gravestone, and clenched his fists. _ I promise you, nee-san, I'm going to make Himura pay…_

* * *

AN: Good? Boring? Should I continue? Tell me what you think... 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Kenshin.

AN: Sorry about how long this took '. It's still not that great but…I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to review!

* * *

**Pieces of the Life I Had Before: Chapter 2**  


The first time Kaoru Kamiya noticed him, it had been a couple of days into her second week as a senior. As she opened her locker door, she had turned around to say something to Misao, at which point she caught her first glimpse of him. He was standing with his back to her, rummaging in one of the lockers in the row across from where hers was.

She surmised that he was new. The school didn't have that many students, and with _his_ looks, he couldn't possibly have escaped her notice for the whole of last year. Still, it was strange that she hadn't noticed him earlier.

His hair was long, maybe longer than hers, tied up in a low ponytail – not exactly a common look on guys. And with its bright red color, there was no way the boy could have _not _stood out in this school. Either she had been too absorbed in settling into the new semester to notice, or he'd been keeping a really low profile. _No mean feat with _that _hairdo. _

She realized that it was rude to stare, but she couldn't help being curious about this new guy – well, she was sure that he was new, anyway. The locker rows weren't spaced very far apart, so she got a pretty good view of him – or, rather, the back of him. He was kind of on the small side for a guy – she didn't think he was much taller than her. Why, she could have mistaken him for a girl, except for the fact that he was dressed in a guy's uniform; white shirt, plus black pants. The broadness of his shoulders also gave away his gender.

His hair wasn't the only part of him that was unusually colored. _His eyes_ – _wow, they're…violet? That's really unusual… _

It finally occurred to her that if she was looking into his eyes, then he was probably looking into hers to, and that meant…

_Oh…cripes…Busted…_She saw him raise one eyebrow quizzically, just before she hid her reddening face behind the open door of her locker.

_Nice going, Kamiya, now he probably thinks you're crushing on him. _Kaoru scowled to herself. She hated the thought of any boy thinking that she was attracted to him. She prided herself on not shamelessly gushing over every other fairly good-looking guy that showed up, unlike far too many girls she knew. Having someone think of her as some love-struck schoolgirl now would be incredibly embarrassing. She resisted the urge to hammer her head against the locker door.

Kaoru's little faux pas hadn't gone completely unnoticed. From the locker next to hers, Misao glanced at her best friend for a moment and blinked. "Whatcha huddling behind your locker door for?"

Still red-faced, Kaoru mumbled, "N-nothing."

Misao gave Kaoru a look that said _you'd better spill or I'll hound you relentlessly for the rest of the day until you tell me_.

At which point Kaoru remembered that secrets between best friends – especially when your best friend was Misao – was a very bad thing. "I was just…looking at this guy, and then he turned and caught me staring. No big deal."

Misao winced in sympathy. "Ouch. That's embarrassing." Then her face brightened. "He must've been really cute, right?"

_Oh, that's right, focus on the important things. _"That's not the point here–" Kaoru huffed, but her friend was no longer paying attention to her. The other girl had leaned back, glanced around for a moment, then stared in the direction where the guy had been. "Kaoru, you said redhead, right?"

"Misao!" Kaoru tugged her friend behind the protective cover of her locker door. "Don't do that, he'll see you!"

"Don't worry, he didn't notice me. I'm not as obvious as you," Misao said cheerily. Kaoru's glare seemed to bounce off her like paper balls hitting Kevlar. "I think that's Kenshin Himura. He's a senior too, if I'm not wrong."

_Kenshin, huh?_ "And just how did you come by this little bit of information?"

"Oh, I have my sources…" When Kaoru only stared at Misao, the other girl grumbled. "Okay, fine…There was this time in the library…I was sitting near this bunch of girls from another class – his, I think. Apparently he just transferred in from another school."

Kaoru frowned. "Switching schools in senior year…that's unusual. How do you know that guy there is this Kenshin?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure that's him. They were talking about how nice it would be to run their fingers through his silky red hair…" Misao wrinkled her nose in disgust. "They sounded pretty nauseating, if you ask me."

"Says the girl who keeps gushing non-stop about her 'Aoshi-sama'…"

Misao, predictably, went on as if Kaoru hadn't spoken, although Kaoru could have sworn that her friend's face had reddened, just a tad. _So she's not _completely _shameless…_"Those girls had a point though. He _is_ pretty cute." Misao gave her friend a mischievous grin. "So, looks like someone has a _leetle _crush..."

_Oh, boy…_Kaoru rolled her eyes. Yeah, sure, the guy was…interesting-looking…but it would take more than that for her to even allow herself to develop a crush on him. Out loud, Kaoru snorted. "Oh, puh-leeze Misao, like that guy really needs another member on his fan club."

Misao's teasing grin only widened. But before Misao could open her mouth again, the bell rang.

_Oh, thank Kami._ With a small sigh of relief, Kaoru slammed her locker door shut, grabbed the other girl's arm and dragged her friend off to their homeroom.

* * *

He'd been rummaging around his locker, not really looking for anything in particular, just killing time. He'd reached school a little earlier that he'd meant too, and he couldn't really think of anything else to do before school started. And he could only spend so much time in the washroom… 

Then he felt that familiar sensation that told him someone's eyes were observing him.

That itself didn't really faze him. He knew he stood out, thanks to his hair. He'd gotten used to the stares in his old school, and he'd get used to getting stares here. He just hoped that it wasn't those freshman girls again. Each time he caught them staring, they'd look away, giggling and whispering excitedly among themselves. He really couldn't see why they kept doing that – was he really that funny-looking? – and it was starting to get on his nerves.

With those thoughts in mind, he turned around to seek out whoever was giving him so much attention. He was a little surprised at what he found.

She wasn't gaping at him like most people did when they saw him, as if his red hair made him an alien of sorts, or that wide-eyed, unabashed way the annoying freshmen girls did. Her blue eyes were slightly narrowed, and her expression curious, thoughtful, as if trying to figure out where she'd seen him before.

It took a full two seconds before the girl seemed to realize that he was looking right at her. He couldn't resist raising a questioning eyebrow.

He saw her eyes widen in surprise and her face redden. Then she ducked her head behind an open locker door, obscuring his view of her face.

He felt an amused smile tug at his lips. The whole thing was kind of…cute. _She _was kind of cute…

Realizing the direction his thoughts were heading, he started, then shook his head hard, as if hoping to fling off any thoughts of the girl from his mind. He then turned his attention firmly back to his locker until the bell finally rang.

* * *

The second time she saw him, it was a couple of days later. 

She had rushed into the locker area to grab a book she'd forgotten before going back to the classroom where Misao was waiting for her, and that was when she'd seen him. Well, kind of – her view of him was being blocked by a couple of bulky guys who had him pinned against the row of lockers. The whole situation didn't look very friendly.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed in annoyance. She knew those two – the most notorious boys in her year. This school didn't have much of a bullying problem, but there were a few bad apples – those guys definitely fell into that category. She remembered how thankful she had been that they had not ended up in _her _class. She didn't need problems like that in her senior year.

She hadn't seen them cause any trouble since after that particularincident near the end of last semester. But she was certain it wasn't because they'd mended their ways. This little scene was unfortunately, at the new guy's expense, proving her right.

There were few others around, and the ones who noticed were either pretending they had not or were quick to leave the area. Not much help there. Kaoru herself hesitated, unsure if she should interfere. Not that she was afraid, but things didn't look serious, at least not yet…just maybe…

She watched as Kenshin tried to slip past the two guys. But one of them – the bald one – grabbed Kenshin by the collar and lifted the smaller boy right of his feet, slamming him against the row of lockers.

_That's it. _All of Kaoru's apprehension evaporated. She slammed her locker door shut, and marched towards Kenshin and the two thugs.

* * *

Kenshin let out a mental sigh as he turned around and met with a couple of sneering faces. This was exactly the sort of thing he'd been working hard to avoid. Every school had these types – the ones who would give him trouble about his hair, his height, or that nasty little rep he'd picked up– 

They were bigger and taller than him – _which guy around here isn't? _he thought a little sourly. One had a shaved head, while the other looked like he'd never figured out how to work a comb. Kenshin wouldn't have been surprised if that were the case.

He'd noticed these two watching him since the first day of school, and glimpsed the malice in their gazes. He'd taken pains to keep out of their way since then. He had been a little distracted that morning though, and things hadn't improved when a certain pony-tailed girl had come dashing into the locker area. He'd been so intent on keeping his attention on his locker that he hadn't noticed these two's presence until it was too late. _This, if I already didn't know, just proves that I really should keep mind off girls…_

"Hey, shorty," one of them – Baldy – greeted him. "Nice dye job. Did your mom take you to the hairdresser? She should've put a ribbon in too." Behind him, his pal Shaggy snickered.

Kenshin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he focused on figuring out how to get out this mess.

He was pretty certain that talking wouldn't work with these two, and it didn't look like the few people around were going to help him out. Not that he expected them too, anyway. Maybe if he just tried to slip between them…He went for it.

Lousy idea. As quick as Kenshin was, Baldy still managed to grab him by the collar of his uniform and slam him against the row of lockers. His shoulder met the metal surface of the locker doors with a painful bang. "It's rude to leave when someone's talking, _Himura_," he hissed, practically shoving his face into Kenshin's. "Especially when they've tried _so_ hard to get in a word with you."

Kenshin heard the words being spoken to him, but barely registered the words. His attention had turned into himself, and what was building up inside him. The moment his shoulder had hit the lockers, a flash of red had crossed his vision.

He could feel it – sparked by his outrage, it began to burn, becoming more intense by the moment like a ball of flame, slowly, certainly, growing inside him.

He tried to stop it. He really did. But, as usual, it was futile. Fueled by the slight sting of his shoulders, a reminder that he had actually let himselfbe hurt by these…_pathetic losers_… the ball of flame kept growing, consuming everything in him that was trying to maintain control, every other part that screamed at him to stop before he did something he would regret.

The words _how _dare _this fool even touch me _ran through his mind. He had actually caused Kenshin pain, however trivial it was. This was unacceptable. He realized that his hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides. But he could not remember making the movements. His attention was focused completely on the _ahou _who had his filthy hands on his collar. He felt his eyes slowly narrow as he directed a burning glare at the fool.

"You are going to _pay _for that."

"You're pretty cocky for a new guy, short stuff." Baldy's voice was filled with mockery, but it sounded forced, and the sneer on his face seemed to be faltering.

Kenshin smirked. His hands twitched in anticipation. This was going to be short.

"Uh, Okada –"

Still not releasing his hold on Kenshin, Baldy turned to face his friend. "What?" he yelled, irritated.

"Um, maybe you'd better look at who's coming this way…"

_It's her. _Through the haze of anger clouding his mind, Kenshin felt surprise. The blue-eyed girl from yesterday was stomping towards where he was, clearly upset. "Let him go, Okada!"

"Deal with her." Baldy turned back towards Kenshin, leaving Shaggy to deal with Kaoru.

"But –" Off Baldy's glare, Shaggy hesitantly went up to the girl and tried to block her way, grabbing her arm. It almost seemed as if he was scared of her.

Kenshin wanted to tell this girl to not to get involved in this mess. He sure as hell didn't need her help. He could take these losers by himself, and she had better get out of his way. He owed it to these guys.

But something held him back. The part of him that was rational whispered that maybe, just maybe, with her help, he could get out of this situation without getting into a fight. And getting thrown out of school. That was the last thing he needed right now.

Plus, it would be pretty interesting to see how she'd deal with these two.

Kenshin watched, fascinated, as the girl tugged her arm from Shaggy's grip and shoved him aside before walking right up to Baldy. "Leave the guy alone, Okada!" Up, close, she seemed very small compared to these two. The girl was far too brave for her own good.

With an annoyed expression, Baldy – Okada – turned, slowly, deliberately, to face the girl. "You've got some nerve getting in my face, little girl," he hissed. "Sagara's not here to protect you this time, in case you hadn't noticed."

Kenshin saw the girl's eyes flare with anger, and noticed that she had clenched her fists. "You think I need him to deal with you idiots?" There was something dangerous in her tone. "You've sure got it wrong, Okada."

Kenshin couldn't help noticing that Shaggy now seemed to be cowering away from the girl. He held back amused grin. Very interesting indeed.

"That's not the only thing he's wrong about."

All four of them turned to face the newcomer. He was a tall, even taller than Kenshin's two tormentors. His brown hair stood up in long, messy spikes, and the way his uniform wasn't any neater. Kenshin frowned. There was something about this guy that seemed vaguely familiar.

Then he drove a fist into his palm, as if spoiling for a fight. The gesture clearly meant to intimidate, and Kenshin's attention was drawn to the taut muscles in his arms. This guy wasn't one to mess around with.

"Sano!" The girl exclaimed, relief evident in her voice

"Shit…" Shaggy promptly turned around and fled.

_Great, another interruption. This is getting out of hand. This is _my _fight, damn it. _Kenshin scowled, and then frowned. Distracted by the girl's antics, he had momentarily forgotten about his anger.

He took a deep breath. _ Stay calm…no point taking this guy down now._

Okada cursed as he watched his companion abandon the scene. He turned to glare defiantly at the newcomer, but Kenshin could already feel the hands on his lapels loosening their grip. He wasn't going to fight, especially not after his backup had run off.

"This isn't over, Red," Okada hissed, just before he released Kenshin. Kenshin met the other boy's glare with one of his own. With one last scowl at the other two present, Okada fled as well.

_You got lucky this time, punk. _Slumped against the row of lockers, Kenshin realized that his hands were still tightly fisted. He slowly opened them. He closed his eyes, releasing a sigh, and with it the lingering traces of his anger. That one had been to close for comfort.

"Hey, you okay buddy?" The spiky-haired boy spoke. Kenshin stamped out the residual, irrational resentment he felt for the guy who'd interfered with his fight. The boy had helped him out, after all. Just not in the way he probably thought. _Then_ he opened his eyes.

"I'm okay." He studied the boy more closely. Ah, he knew where he'd seen this guy before. They were classmates. Sagara...that was his name. Was he the one Okada was talking about? "Thanks."

"No problem. How 'bout you, Jou-chan?"

_Jou-chan? _The girl. Kenshin turned towards her, meaning to thank her. If she hadn't stepped in…The words died in his throat when he saw her looking down at her shoes, blushing. He stared at her in confusion.

"Um, sorry about barging in…" she muttered, still not meeting his eyes. "Not that I think you're weak or anything…but…well…it looked like it was going to get kinda ugly…"

_You have no idea…_"Um, that's okay," Kenshin said. "Actually, I'm really glad–"

The bell rang, drowning out the rest of his words. The girl perked up, eyes wide. "I'd better get to class!" Before Kenshin could protest, she dashed off towards the classroom block. "Oh, thanks, Sano!" With that last yell, the girl disappeared around the corner.

"Later, Jou-chan!" Sagara called out after her.

Kenshin nearly jumped in surprise when Sagara placed a companionable arm over his shoulders and leaned down to look him in the eye. "Guess we'd better get to class too, huh?" Crossing his arms behind his head, Sagara set off in a leisurely stroll towards class as other students rushed past him.

When he realized that Kenshin hadn't moved, Sagara turned and called out, "Hey, get a move on! You don't wanna be late, do you?"

Seeing no reason to protest, Kenshin shrugged and set off after the lanky teen.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and its characters still do not belong to me. I'm saving up for the next best thing - action figures.

AN: Sorry this took so long. I had trouble with this part of the story. I still don't really like how it came out, but I'm hoping that you guys do, somehow…

Anyway, to answer a few questions: Kenshin, Kaoru, Sano and Misao, being high school seniors, are eighteen, and so is Enishi (I actually had to look this up " No high school where I am…) Tomoe has (had?) to be a little older, of course. How much older? Well…you'll find out later (i.e. I'm not sure yet XD). All other questions will be answered later too, I promise.

Okay, onto the chapter…Enjoy!

* * *

**Pieces of the Life I Had Before: Chapter 3**

"Mind if I sit here?"

Kenshin glanced up from the _bento _box on his desk to glance up at Sagara. The boy had his hand on the back of the chair that had been vacated by the girl who normally sat in front of him in class. Like most of the class, the girl had apparently decided to have her lunch somewhere other than the classroom, leaving the seat empty. "Um, I guess I don't really mind."

"Thanks." Without turning the chair around, Sagara sat so that he was leaning forward against the back of the chair. "Your name's Kenshin Himura, right?"

"Uh, yes…" Kenshin replied. He couldn't help feeling wary, out of habit. Even after being similarly approached by well-meaning classmates for the past two weeks, he still hadn't gotten used to it.

"I'm Sanosuke Sagara, by the way." The spiky-haired teen gave a nonchalant shrug. "Call me Sanosuke, or just Sano. Nearly everybody does."

"Oh. Okay." Kenshin fell silent for a moment, trying to remember what people normally did in situations like did. "Um, nice to meet you then, Sanosuke." He tried putting on a civil tone, for once. He owed Sagara – Sanosuke – after all, and the least he could do was be nice to the guy.

"You sure about that?" Sanosuke leaned forward, propping his chin up on his elbow, so that he was looking Kenshin straight in the eye. "If you don't mind me saying, it's been looking like you've been trying to avoid everybody in this class." The words might have sounded confrontational, challenging. But Sanosuke spoke the words casually, as if he were asking out of mere curiosity.

Kenshin gave a noncommittal shrug. It _was_ true – that there was no point denying it outright. Kenshin had never been particularly friendly to his classmates, and deliberately met the attempts made to approach him with a cool indifference, giving laconic replies to their questions. By now, except for a few annoyingly persistent girls, most of them paid little attention to him. It was easier, he figured, to keep out of trouble if he had as little contact with his schoolmates as possible.

But he wasn't about to explain this to someone he'd only just met. Deadpan, Kenshin said, "Maybe I'm just shy."

"Riiight…" Sanosuke sounded amused, obviously not buying it. "You know, we're not all as bad as those two you met this morning, you know. Maybe it doesn't look like it," Sano jammed a thumb against his own chest, "but I'm really a nice guy."

This time it was Kenshin who felt amusement. He found that he had begun to relax a little. He couldn't help it. That was an obvious sincerity to Sanosuke that Kenshin found likeable, refreshing.

Sano regarded Kenshin's _bento _box with interest. "Say, this looks pretty good."

Kenshin had been accused of being dense more than once, but even he could not fail to notice thishint. "You…want some?"

"Don't mind if I do." Sanosuke proceeded to pick up a piece of sausage and chew, an expression of obvious happiness on his face.

Curious despite himself, Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Didn't bring your own lunch?"

Sano swallowed some of the sausage. "Oh, I brought a sandwich. But I got hungry, so I sneaked bites during class. It didn't last very long." His voice took on a mournful tone.

Kenshin bit back a chuckle. He gestured towards his _bento _box. "Help yourself, then." Not that he was trying to be particularly nice or anything. He just figured that, after what Sanosuke had done for him earlier, letting the guy have some of his lunch was small recompense.

Sanosuke's face broke into a grin. "You mean it? Thanks, Kenshin! You're a real pal." He didn't waste any time helping himself to another piece of sausage. Then, after bringing it halfway to his mouth, he paused. "Say, you don't mind me calling you Kenshin, do ya?" He asked belatedly.

Kenshin shrugged again. "Not really."

"Great."

Kenshin watched for a moment as Sano chomped down on his food. _A pal, huh?_

_Would that really be so bad?_

"Say, aren't you gonna eat too?"

"Huh? Oh." Kenshin picked up his chopsticks, but didn't begin to eat yet. He took a deep breath.

"Um, listen…I haven't really thanked you for helping me out this morning. So…thanks."

"Oh, that?" Chomp, chomp, gulp. "It was no big deal. I'm pretty sure you could've handled Okada and Kamura by yourself anyway." Sano gave him a good-natured wink.

Kenshin gave a small self-deprecating smile. "A fight …that'll really be a great way to start things off here." Huh, another joke.

"You got a good point there." Sanosuke chuckled. "Oh, speaking of thanking," he added, "I think Jou-chan's really the one you should be grateful to. She probably would have gotten those two off your back even without me butting in."

"Jou…chan?" Kenshin felt a flicker of interest. "You mean that girl from earlier?"

"Yep…'cept that you probably shouldn't call her that. She doesn't like it too much." Sanosuke's grin made it very clear that _he_ wasn't the least bit worried about that. From what Kenshin had seen that morning, it didn't seem like a very wise attitude to adopt. "Her name's Kaoru Kamiya. She's a friend of mine."

_ Kaoru… _

Watching the speed at which his food was disappearing, it occurred to Kenshin that if he didn't start eating soon, the other boy would probably clean out his _bento _box. Half-heartedly, Kenshin picked up some food, chewing thoughtfully. "You're right; I do need to thank her. Not sure how I'm gonna approach her though."

He'd been speaking that last sentence more to himself, but Sanosuke heard. "Oh, that's no big deal. If you want I'll take you to meet her after school."

"I…that'll be great, I guess. Thanks." Kenshin found that he was slightly nervous at the prospect of talking to the girl. Maybe he just wasn't used to talking to so many people in one day. With Sano, he'd exchanged more words than he did with most people in, perhaps, a month.

So much for having as little contact with his schoolmates as possible. Kenshin stifled a sigh. But he really was grateful to this girl Kaoru, and it wouldn't feel right if he didn't at least say 'thank you'.

As for Sano…he still had a few things he was wondering about. Well, he'd been talking so much already, he supposed a little more wouldn't hurt. As casually as possible, Kenshin said, "Those two guys…Okada and Kamura…they seemed, well, kinda afraid of you."

Sano grinned, revealing bits of food stuck to his teeth. "Oh, I'd say they have a good reason to be."

_Interesting…_"I don't suppose you'd care to explain?" Kenshin asked, trying not to betray any overt interest. There probably wasn't much of a point doing so anymore, though, he thought ruefully. He looked down at what remained of his lunch and raised his eyebrows. He quickly shoveled some food into his mouth.

"Heck, why not?" Sano shrugged. "Okada and Kamura used to pick a lot on Seta over there." Sano nudged his chin in the direction of a few boys who had gathered around another boy's desk. "He's the guy sitting down over there."

Kenshin glanced over, and realized that he recognized the boy. It was mostly because he remembered thinking that Seta was a small guy, even shorter than Kenshin himself. That was probably why Okada and Kamura would choose to pick on him. On top of that, he struck Kenshin as being the meek, docile type. Back at Kenshin's old school, he probably would have found himself in a living hell.

Seta seemed to sense the attention on him. He turned their way, his expression confused, but it soon gave way to a cheerful, if slightly nervous grin. Kenshin merely looked away while Sanosuke responded with a jaunty wave.

"So, anyway," Sano's words brought Kenshin's attention back to him, "Kaoru suspected it, and had me keep an eye on them too, but those two were pretty good at hiding it. Except for this one time last year. Kaoru was waiting for me to get out of basketball practice, when she saw them threatening him, trying to get money off him."

Kenshin thought he was beginning to get the picture. "So you arrived and stepped in to help, like?"

"Erm, not exactly…"

_Oh?_

Seeing Kenshin's questioning expression, Sanosuke explained. "Basketball practice ended a little late that day. And if you haven't noticed, Kaoru's not exactly the type to stand by and watch someone get picked on."

"So…what did she do?"

"Well, I didn't actually see it…By the time I got there, Okada's eye was swelling, and Kaoru was hitting Kamura with her bokken. When they saw me, those two just split. Probably decided they'd had enough." Sanosuke snickered. "Man, I wish I hadn't missed it."

Kenshin realized that his mouth was hanging slightly open, and quickly shut it. He supposed that he should have expected something like this. But still…Kenshin tried to visualize the scene – the petite girl, with a bokken and a wrathful expression on her face, attacking a couple of much larger boys. And winning. He couldn't.

He finally decided that he was right in earlier assessment that this Kaoru wasn't someone he wanted to annoy. "So…that's why they're afraid of you?"

"No, that's why they're afraid of _her_," Sanosuke corrected him. "You didn't see how Kamura was practically wilting under her glare?"

"I noticed something like that," Kenshin admitted. He was feeling like he'd missed something. "But, well, that doesn't explain _you_."

"I'm just getting to that. Anyway, Kaoru thought that that was the end of it, but I know those guys. They wouldn't just quietly take the fact that a girl kicked their butts. So I watched them for a little while. And guess what?"

If Kenshin had been trying to disguise his interest earlier, he certainly wasn't now. "What?"

"I caught them waiting to jump her on her way back from school. And, concerned for my friend's safety, I, uh, _discouraged_ them from going on with that plan." Sano ground his right fist into his palm, leaving no room for doubt as to how he had 'discouraged' Okada and Kamura. "Now _that's_," Sano gave a self-satisfied smirk, "why they're afraid of me.

"By the way," Sanosuke leaned forward, his voice taking on a conspiratorial tone, "Don't tell Jou-chan about that last bit, huh? She thinks I enjoy fighting too much. I don't think she'd have approved."

Kenshin wasn't sure how to respond to this slightly disturbing summary of events. He simply sat there for a moment, trying to take it all in.

Finally, he managed, "Well, that explains it."

"That's the story for you." Sanosuke nodded. "Say, you want that last rice ball?"

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"Yo, Jou-chan!"

Kaoru turned to face Sanosuke, her expression annoyed. "When are you going to stop calling me that?"

Sano smirked. "Maybe when you get bigger than me."

Kaoru sighed.

Her irritation evaporated when she noticed that Sanosuke wasn't alone. She fought down a blush when she saw who it was. And it wasn't just because she recognized the person.

She hadn't really noticed it before – it was hard to when his back had been facing her. Or when she had a couple of bullies breathing down her neck. But now, up close, she couldn't help but see it. Now she knew why those girls had been gushing over this Kenshin. With that bright red hair of his, those strange, violet eyes, and his pretty features…the guy was seriously _cute_.

_So much for not acting like a love-sick schoolgirl…_Kaoru desperately tried to tamp down on these new, unexpected feelings. As if she didn't already have enough reason to be embarrassed.

Misao was no help. When she looked over at Sanosuke and his companion, she said brightly, "Say, isn't that the guy you were gawking at the other day?"

Kaoru silently began to contemplate the merits of strangling her best friend. At that moment, the pros were outweighing the cons.

Sano, unfortunately, heard Misao. Not that Misao was being particularly discrete. He grinned. "Gawking? Why, Jou-chan, I never figured you for boy-watching. Guess you _do_ have a feminine side to you."

_That's it. These two are _dead

Not wishing to display her violent tendencies in front of the new guy, Kaoru firmly turned her attention away from her so-called friends and towards him. When her eyes met the redhead's confused ones, though, she felt herself begin to turn red all over again.

She took a deep, calming breath, then plastered on her most cheerful smile, hoping that it covered up her nervousness. "So, um, you're Kenshin Himura right?"

"I – yes." The boy gave her a slight, shy smile. "I'm Sagara – uh – Sanosuke's classmate." His shyness was endearing…She firmly squelched down that thought.

"The guy has something he wants to say to you." Sano gave the guy a little nudge towards Kaoru, sending the smaller boy stumbling forward. "Go on, Kenshin."

Recovering, Kenshin directed his gaze towards the ground. "It's just…" Kenshin paused. "About this morning."

"Oh! That." Ignoring Misao's questioning glance, Kaoru tried to maintain her smile. She had been worrying that Kenshin might have been insulted by her interference. In her experience, guys hated the idea of a girl saving their butts when it came to situations like that. "Well, I'm pretty sure you could have handled that yourself…"

"Perhaps…but it wouldn't have been wise for me to get into trouble, especially just after transferring in." When Kaoru looked up, Kenshin was scratching the back of his head nervously. He offered her a hesitant, but grateful smile. "It was a good thing you stepped in when you did. So…thank you."

Not only was he not angry, but appreciative too. Kaoru's opinion of the boy went up a notch. She could seriously learn to like this guy.

Relief eclipsing her embarrassment, Kaoru responded with a smile of her own, a sincere, heartfelt one this time. "In that case…I was glad I could help, uh, Himura-kun."

The boy gave an uneasy shrug. "Er…you can just call me Kenshin. Sanosuke does already."

"Oh! You can call me Kaoru, then."

"And you can call _me _Misao." Misao interjected suddenly, and Kaoru nearly jumped. She'd nearly forgotten that her friend was there. "You're Sano's friend after all, aren't you?"

"I- well –"

"He sure is," Sano said with a wink. Kenshin stared at him for a moment, then turned back to Kaoru and gave a helpless shrug, as if to say_ guess that's what it looks like_.

Misao began to enthusiastically introduce herself to Kenshin, and bombarding him with a whole bunch of questions. Kenshin appeared to be taken aback by her exuberance. Kaoru grinned. Most people reacted that way to her overly perky friend.

Kaoru was glad that Sanosuke had taken a liking to Kenshin. It wasn't just because she was heartened that the new guy now had, at least, one friend in this school. Sanosuke generally got along okay with everyone, but she noticed that, apart from herself and perhaps Misao, Sanosuke never really seemed to take to anyone else, not even his classmates or basketball teammates. Despite his outgoing and cheerful demeanor, she knew that Sano actually found it a difficult to truly trust another. The reason Kaoru managed to be so close to him was probably solely due to the fact that they had known each other since they were kids.

As much as she enjoyed having a friend around, she felt that it would do Sano good to have another guy to hang around with. That way she could feel a little less bad about neglecting him when she was off doing what Sano termed 'girly stuff' with Misao. _And _he could help keep the new guy out of trouble. Or maybe vice versa. _Or, between them, attract a whole lot more trouble…_She winced. That was a frightening thought.

She also tried not to think about how if Sanosuke and Kenshin really did become friends, she would probably be seeing more of the guy she was seriously in danger of developing a crush on.

_I am not crushing on him, dammit! I merely recognize that he is somewhat good-looking. There is nothing wrong with that…_

She was getting ahead of herself, anyway. The two guys had apparently just started talking to each other. There was still plenty of time for Sanosuke to drive Kenshin away with his more annoying characteristics. She hoped it wouldn't turn out that way, though. She had a feeling the two of them would be good for each other.

She watch Kenshin squirm under Misao's attention for a while, then called out, "Lay off the guy already, Misao. We should be going already."

"Aww…" Misao pouted. Behind Misao, Kaoru spotted Kenshin discretely letting out a sigh of relief and held back a giggle.

He turned to Kaoru. "Well, if there's nothing else I'll be going off now."

"Oh…I guess I'll see you around then." Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Kaoru gave a shy smile. "Um, bye."

"Yeah, nice meeting you, Kenshin!" Misao added.

Kenshin merely gave a nod of acknowledgement before turning to walk away. He seemed eager to get away. _Misao must have really scared him._

Sano glanced over at Kaoru. "You're going off with Misao, aren't you?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, we're heading to the mall for while."

Misao smiled mischievously at Sano. "You wanna come along?"

Sanosuke visibly shuddered. "I think I'd rather shoot myself."

Kaoru chuckled. "Well, we're going to be doing homework over at my place after that," she said. "Feel free to drop by and join us." _Then maybe I can make sure you actually get yours done…_

"Maybe I will." Sanosuke headed off in the direction Kenshin had gone, giving a wave as he left. "Later, you two."

Kaoru had barely said goodbye to Sano before Misao tugged on her arm. "Okay, girlfriend, what was that about?" Misao had an anticipatory look in her eyes. "Spill."

Kaoru sighed.

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Kenshin frowned as he walked. This whole 'keep-to-yourself-and-keep-out-of-trouble' thing wasn't really going too well.

He had probably been too friendly with Kaoru back there. But then, how was he supposed to be rude and uncivil while trying to express his gratitude? The very fact that he was bothering to express his gratitude already showed that he wasn't rude and uncivil.

Maybe he shouldn't have gone through the trouble after all. Let her think him an ingrate. That would have made things easier.

But he knew he couldn't have gone by without thanking her. He'd truly felt indebted to her for intervening, and not only because of the trouble she had saved him from.

It had been so long since someone had stood up for him, had taken his side. He'd forgotten how good that felt.

And that smile she gave him after he'd thanked her…If nothing else, that had made it worthwhile.

Kenshin deliberately shoved the image of Kaoru's smiling face out of his mind. Now wasn't the time for such thoughts.

Then there was Sanosuke…

"_You're Sano's friend, after all, aren't you?"_

_"He sure is."_

Sanosuke had spoken the words so casually. Could he really have meant them? Kenshin was a surprised to find that he wished that Sano's words were sincere. The loneliness he had endured for the past three years suddenly hit him in full force. That was how long he had gotten by without a single friend. Was it possible that, without meaning too, he had somehow managed to gather one?

The fact that Kenshin wasn't walking home alone as usual was a seemed like a positive sign.

"Um, you're not going off with Kaoru and Misao?"

Ambling down the sidewalk next to Kenshin, Sanosuke shook his head. "Nope. They're off doing girl stuff. I wouldn't join them if you'd paid me too."

Kenshin smiled weakly. "I see." A horrible thought suddenly occurred to him. "You don't think – Okada and Kamura–"

"Nah." Sanosuke appeared unconcerned. "Misao's mom's picking them up. Besides, between the Jou-chan and the weasel girl, those two morons don't stand a chance."

"Ah." Kenshin wondered if Misao studied _kendo_ too. _Are all the girls in this school this scary?_

Sano spoke up again. "You really don't mind me walking home with you, do ya? I'm headed this way too."

Kenshin hesitated for a moment. If he said yes, he did mind, he'd be rid of Sanosuke. Easy as that.

"I…guess not."

_Darn._

He tried to tell himself that it was merely because he didn't want to hurt Sanosuke's feelings – he still owed the guy for saving him. But the truth was so blatant that he couldn't ignore it. Walking next to him was Kenshin's shot at being free of the alienation that he had suffered for so long, and he couldn't bear to push it away.

This was bad – dangerous even. It was this need for friendship, this desire to fit in that had gotten him mixed up with the Ishin. _And looked at how _that _turned out._

But Sano wasn't like the Ishin, was he? From what Kenshin had seen of him, he seemed like the most decent guy he had come across in years. He'd bet that any guy would have been glad to have Sanosuke as a pal. What was so wrong about Kenshin wanting the same?

_Oh, yeah. A guy like me doesn't deserve to be friends with people like Sano. _Kenshin suddenly felt deflated. To think, for a moment there, he'd forgotten just what kind of person he really was…

Things suddenly seemed a lot easier back at his old school. At least he hadn't had to think about these things. There, everyone had hated him anyway, first for being a delinquent, then for being the bastard who'd gotten the girl everyone liked killed.

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"You really don't mind me walking with you, do ya? I'm headed this way too."

Sanosuke thought he saw Kenshin hesitate before shaking his head. "I…guess not."

"Great."

Kenshin's behavior seemed to suggest to Sanosuke that the other guy did mind, though. The redhead didn't say a word when Sano had joined him, only acknowledged Sano's presence with a glance before continuing his walk. And just when they'd started talking, the other boy had clammed up again.

Unable to think of anything else to say, the two of them fell back into that awkward silence. Sanosuke began to feel a bit bemused. If Kenshin didn't want him around, why didn't the guy just say so? Maybe he was just too darned polite.

The quietness was starting to make Sanosuke uncomfortable. If Kenshin didn't want to give him the brush-off, maybe he should just take his leave. He was about to open his mouth and tell Kenshin that he was taking a right turn at this junction when the other guy suddenly stopped and turned to face him.

"Sano."

Trying to hide the fact that he was startled, Sanosuke responded, in as casual a tone as he could muster. "Yeah?"

Kenshin shifted his gaze towards the ground for a moment, frowning, as if trying to decide something. When he spoke again, his question caught Sano by surprise. "Earlier, when you told Misao I was your friend…did you really mean it?"

Sanosuke felt his eyebrows rise. "Well, yeah, I mean, why not? You seem like a cool guy, ya know, and I thought it'd be cool if we could be pals." He wondered why Kenshin would worry about something like that.

And then it suddenly hit him. He winced. "Oh, wait, I was probably being way too presumptuous, right? I mean, I totally get it if you think I'm–"

"It's not that. It's not you."

Sano scratched his head. This was starting to sound like a bad breakup. "Okay…so what's the problem?"

Kenshin turned away, refusing to meet Sanosuke's eyes. "It's just that…I don't it would be a good idea for you to be friends with me."

_That _Sanosuke hadn't seen coming. He frowned. "Why not?"

Now Kenshin turned to look right into Sanosuke's eyes. "Because," he said, his tone bitter, "I used to be a gangster. A juvenile delinquent. I've even got a police record. I'm really not someone you should be hanging around with."

Sanosuke could only stare for a moment as he took Kenshin's words in. The guy was completely serious. An emotion completely inappropriate to the situation began to bubble up inside Sanosuke.

Amusement.

Sanosuke tried to contain it – he really did. But the situation was so ironic that he couldn't help seeing the funny in it. First came unsuccessfully stifled chuckles, then Sanosuke gave up and laughed right out.

As he tried to curb his laughter, he saw Kenshin's eyes narrowing into a glare. "Maybe I don't look like much–"

"Oh, no, it's not that." As his laughter finally subsided, Sanosuke regarded the boy in front of him with renewed interest. _So that's what this is all about? This guy's just too darned decent. _"A gang member, huh? I sure didn't see that coming. So basically, what you're telling me that you'd make a really rotten friend because you used to be part of a gang? That's it?"

Kenshin looked taken aback. Sano couldn't blame him. "I – I guess that's it–"

"So what were you a part of, anyway? The Shinsen? The Ishin?"

Kenshin seemed suspicious at Sanosuke's question. He stared at Sano for a moment before answering. "The Ishin."

"The Ishin, huh? It's a good thing we never met earlier." Sanosuke offered his hand, as if for a handshake. "Sanosuke Sagara. Formerly of the Sekiho gang."

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Like it? Hate it? Please review! I really could use some motivation...  



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